"European Dead Zone was ground-zero for a cataclysmic event that left a massive shard of The Traveler — the source of every Guardian's power and immortality — embedded in the vast landscape. For years, only wild vegetation and the remains of an abandoned city were evidence of our forgotten past. Now, the Red Legion are using the European Dead Zone as a staging ground for their war machine."

— Website description

The European Dead Zone, also known as the EDZ or simply Dead Zone, is a region on Earth.[1] It is filled with ruins dating back to the Golden Age and earlier, but one of its most notable landmarks is a massive shard of the Traveler that was sundered during the Collapse. The FallenHouse of Devils was known to have a presence in the EDZ before their disappearance due to the SIVA Crisis. By the time of the Red War, the Fallen had returned to the area under a new banner and their presence, combined with that of a Cabal occupational force and Taken remnants, has made the EDZ into a warzone.

Following the invasion of The Last City, Dominus Ghaul deploys his forces to mobilize within the region, causing the region to become a major warzone between the Taken, Fallen and Cabal. Guardian forces have also fled to the Dead Zone in order to hide and recover from the invasion, establishing The Farm as a new base of operations.

In late 2013, the European Dead Zone was a major location planned for the Comet which would eventually become The Taken King. Along with Europa, the area was never completed and was later dropped from the expansion in March 2014 when Bungie decided to focus on the Dreadnaught.[3]

The names Zervreilahorn and Graubünden can be seen on motorway signs around the EDZ. The former is a mountain in Switzerland, and the latter is a region of east Switzerland; this might effectively place the EDZ in Switzerland or near the country.

Different words in German can be seen on signs in the area, such as "Ausgang" (exit) and "Salzwerk" (salt mines). Since both Germany and Switzerland have German as their official language, it is currently unknown were the EDZ is actually placed.

In German, Trostland may translates to "solace country".

The European Dead Zone is the largest playable space ever created by Bungie.